Black River
- April 4, 2017
- Thorne Games
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Black River," play as Leah, a young woman who wakes up in a mysterious, horror-filled village with no memory of her past. Explore the dark atmosphere, uncover secrets, and survive encounters with sinister creatures. The developer also created Thorne: Death Merchants, Thorne: Son of Slaves, and Lycah, all available on Steam. No information available on the release date.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The visuals are appealing, showcasing a nostalgic retro-pixel art style that fans of the genre may appreciate.
- Some players found the atmosphere engaging and enjoyed the quest guide that provided clear instructions.
- A few reviews mentioned interesting monster concepts and a decent length for gameplay, suggesting potential for enjoyment despite the flaws.
- The game is riddled with bugs and technical issues, leading to frequent crashes and corrupted save files, making it nearly unplayable.
- The story is confusing and poorly executed, with many players feeling lost and frustrated due to lack of direction and character development.
- Many reviews criticized the game as a low-effort RPG Maker asset flip, lacking originality and depth, and described it as a cash grab with no real value.
- story86 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it confusing and difficult to follow due to its convoluted plot involving witches, zombies, and a murder investigation. While some appreciated the intriguing twists and character development, others noted issues with pacing, character motivation, and technical glitches that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative has potential but often leaves players feeling lost or disconnected from the characters and their journeys.
“The story of her murder investigation is told from the viewpoint of both a detective sergeant and a newspaper reporter who had grown up at the school and has intimate knowledge of its layout and how it operates.”
“I believe anyone who has enjoyed books by Agatha Christie will have no problem being captivated by this well-written story by author Matthew Spencer and its main character Rose Riley, a no-nonsense investigator.”
“The story is gripping and kept me turning pages, especially the second half of the book.”
“The story is pretty confusing so far, something with witches and wizards, zombies and a strange village/town with murder? It seems very random currently, and as you go through, it's honestly difficult to know where to go or what to do at several points. You end up having to just wander randomly and hope for the best.”
“The story is barely held together, and there's no real motivation keeping the characters there.”
“The story makes little sense, mixing a scary town with a scary manor, scientific and/or magical experiments that create zombies, necromancers casting white magic spells, and a sorcerer that wants to gain power somehow.”
- character development13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, character development in the game is praised for its authenticity and depth, with many reviewers noting that it enhances emotional engagement with the story. However, some critics feel that certain characters, particularly Rose Riley, lack sufficient backstory and depth, leaving them feeling superficial. Despite these mixed opinions, the majority agree that the character arcs contribute significantly to the overall narrative experience.
“Taut, suspenseful, lots of twists and turns, very good character development that makes one care for all the principals in spite or maybe because of their flaws.”
“The characters feel authentic, believable, and the character development is on point.”
“Great plot and character development.”
“Character development for Rose Riley was disappointingly superficial.”
“I'm also on the side of those who felt there could be more character development, especially in the Rose Riley backstory.”
“Perhaps I was looking for more character development.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, leading to a frustrating experience for players, including broken achievements and poor navigation. Reviewers express disappointment in the developer's ongoing release of unstable titles without adequate quality assurance.
“I've written a guide, but honestly, this game is buggy, doesn't help you find where you need to go, and the achievements are broken.”
“I really think I have been very fair to this game by spending 11 hours on it to make sure that it is really buggy.”
“Aldorlea, I am very disappointed if you keep on publishing buggy games without making sure that they work.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for its poor quality, featuring low-effort retro pixel art and frustrating mechanics, such as a maze where characters get stuck and ignore key gameplay elements. Additionally, technical issues like crashes have led to significant frustration, with players expressing dissatisfaction over losing progress.
“Like most RPG Maker shovelware and asset flips, the game features extremely low quality, copy-pasted 2D retro pixel art, looks awful, and has even worse gameplay.”
“The maze with the girl and dogs getting stuck is frustrating; the dogs just end up ignoring the light mechanic altogether.”
“Previously, the game crashed on me twice, after 1 and 5 hours of gameplay.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are a mixed bag; while they draw inspiration from the charming 16-bit JRPG style and are visually appealing, the use of the RPG Maker engine results in poor fullscreen performance and a lack of HD support, which may disappoint modern PC gamers.
“The visuals are lovely and you can clearly see that it takes a lot of cues from the 16-bit JRPG genre.”
“As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
“Graphics are alright since they mainly use the RTP or objects derived from it.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with a well-crafted setting in a posh boys' school that is vividly described, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers note the moody and immersive style of the writing, which complements the mystery and contributes to a compelling atmosphere.
“Like other games by this developer, it's atmospheric and reasonably well made.”
“I liked the setting of a posh boys' school, which was described so well that I had a clear vision of it and the atmosphere there.”
“Well-written mystery presented in a moody, atmospheric style that suits the story perfectly.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding for levels to be excessively slow and tedious, often leading to frustration as they struggle to reach appropriate levels for boss encounters. The experience is marred by the need to repeatedly grind at fountains, which can feel monotonous and unfulfilling.
“Grinding for levels is also painfully slow.”
“When I wasn't dodging bugs, I was furiously grinding at whatever fountain I could find, but even that left me too low-leveled to take on most of the bosses.”
“That becomes tedious and boring.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is perceived as lacking in engaging or funny interactions, with some players noting that the dialogue can be confusing, particularly for non-Australians. However, this could also serve as a cultural learning opportunity rather than a drawback.
“Look funny: crash.”
“Yes, they really do 'talk funny' (unless, of course, they are Australian, in which case we Americans 'talk funny'). Maybe it's better to see it as an opportunity for non-Australians to learn a bit more about that place than to gripe about not understanding some of the words.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized as a blatant cash grab, characterized by poor quality, lack of originality, and reliance on stock assets, which undermines the integrity of amateur game development. Reviewers express concern that such practices contribute to the proliferation of low-effort titles on platforms like Steam.
“It's horribly basic, riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, full of stock copy-pasted RPG Maker assets. No real game development has taken place here; this is just a cash grab, shovelware polluting Steam for profit.”
“This kind of cash grab construction kit shovelware from bad actors like Andorlea gives amateur developers a bad name.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its calming and soothing qualities, providing a relaxing experience that can help players feel at ease.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the audiobook experience is highly praised, particularly for Kellie Jones' engaging performance, which effectively immerses listeners in the story's action and emotions.
