Brookhaven Grimoire
- February 18, 2022
- Little_Amethyst
- 249h median play time
Get on Steam"Brookhaven Grimoire" is a magical adventure game set in a storybook world. Learn to perform spells, explore the Unwritten Lands to uncover hidden mysteries, and summon minions to assist you in battles. With supernatural abilities and the chance to start a family, this game offers a unique and exciting role-playing experience. * Magical adventure in a storybook world * Learn spells, summon minions, and explore for hidden mysteries * Supernatural abilities and the chance to start a family.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and engaging story with interesting characters, providing a refreshing take on the farming sim genre.
- The magical elements and supernatural themes add depth and charm, making the gameplay enjoyable for fans of darker narratives.
- The developer is active in addressing bugs and issues, showing commitment to improving the game and engaging with the community.
- The controls are clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration during gameplay, especially with character movement and tool usage.
- The game is plagued by bugs and performance issues, including crashes and unresponsive menus, making it feel unfinished.
- There is a lack of clear tutorials and guidance, leaving players confused about objectives and mechanics, which detracts from the overall experience.
- story61 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its originality and engaging characters, offering a unique twist on the typical farming sim narrative. Players appreciate the depth of the lore and the secrets revealed through character quests, although some express frustration with unclear quest objectives and navigation challenges. Overall, the story has significant potential, with many players eager to see how it unfolds despite some gameplay issues.
“The story is so great and the characters are engaging.”
“Unique story, surprising twists, and great humor!”
“I am so in love with the story; it's very original and woven through many small aspects of your everyday in Brookhaven.”
“I would like more build up in the storyline, as it kind of just leaves you with a briefly hinted at goal and no real story after that besides some small side quests.”
“Some quests have an unclear goal (for example: meet a person, but you don't know who they are or where).”
“You're often wandering about wondering what to do as the main story is blocked behind the travel cart, which occurs only on Fridays, and you need 5 rations (a craftable requiring one cooked item) to go.”
- grinding40 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
Reviews of the grinding aspect in this farming sim highlight a mix of frustration and enjoyment. While some players find the farming mechanics tedious, particularly in the early stages due to pests and a steep learning curve, others appreciate the unique blend of farming with magical elements and engaging storylines. Overall, the game offers a fresh take on the genre, but players should be prepared for some initial challenges.
“Talking to villagers is super worth it (by unlocking cool content) and not tedious at all like in Stardew Valley.”
“Farming can be a bit frustrating.”
“It makes farming frustrating, especially at the start of the game.”
“In some farming games, mining/fighting can feel tedious, but a necessary chore.”
- gameplay20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game offers a unique blend of life simulation and supernatural elements, but it suffers from clunky mechanics, slow movement, and a lack of proper tutorials. While some players appreciate the interesting storyline and character depth, many find the gameplay experience frustrating due to bugs, lag, and issues with crafting and combat. Despite these challenges, there is optimism for improvement, as the developer is actively addressing concerns and releasing updates.
“Def offers unique gameplay and story compared to other life/farm sims, which I really appreciate.”
“The mechanics are interesting, it has so many interesting enemies, and quite a bit to do.”
“There have already been daily updates since release to fix the most pressing issues and I've noticed that gameplay has greatly improved.”
“It has so much potential, but the gameplay mechanics are so wonky it's irritating. If it's not that, it's the ungodly slow movement speed and lack of a proper gameplay tutorial.”
“The gameplay that does work isn't much to look at; crafting is a 6/10, fishing is a 2/10, the supernatural part is interesting, but mostly on a surface level.”
“But the game mechanics in themselves are unbearable.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and charming aesthetic that blends farm-like visuals with a slightly creepy undertone, reminiscent of titles like Stardew Valley. However, the execution suffers from inconsistencies in art styles, particularly noticeable during transitions between environments, and some players find the overall graphical quality lacking compared to more modern games. While the character designs and art style are generally praised, the clunky controls and mismatched pixel art can detract from the visual experience.
“The aesthetic is very farm-like but also a little creepy, which was fun.”
“It is well made and the art style is unique and adorable.”
“And the graphics are amazing!”
“Brookhaven looks to be a sibling to Stardew Valley, but graphically, control-wise this game is a gigantic mess.”
“I agree with other reviews completely - the controls are clunky, the tutorial is a bit lacking, and sometimes the pixel art styles don't match, which throws me off a little.”
“Definitely multiple art styles crammed together; the difference is most apparent when transitioning from outside to inside.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally appreciated for its quality and emotional impact, contributing positively to the overall feel. However, some players find it excessively loud, which detracts from the gameplay experience. Additionally, the limited variety of tracks for different environments has been noted, with only a few distinct songs for various settings.
“The art is gorgeous, the music is nice, and the characters are fantastic.”
“Love the music and feel of the game.”
“There are numerous little other things that make the game, not great to me, but they're more personal opinions about the music and writing of the game.”
“The music is extremely loud, causing the gameplay to feel disconnected.”
“There are numerous little other things that make the game not great to me, but they're more personal opinions about the music and writing of the game.”
“- There is one song for spring. - There is one song for the mines/dungeon. - There is one song for the forest, a rather sharp one.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as unresponsive controls, disappearing items, and long loading times. Many players have experienced significant issues that affect navigation and overall performance, leading to frustration and loss of progress. While some minor bugs have been addressed, a substantial number remain, detracting from the overall experience.
“The controller system is so buggy that you are unable to even navigate the settings page properly.”
“Unfortunately, it is super buggy (and apparently is a full release???) at this point. I lost a ton of progress because I placed a chest, then could neither move nor pick up the chest.”
“Controls are clunky and counterintuitive, the UI is too clunky and massive, the tutorial is lackluster, and overall it just performs badly with many visual glitches.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its charming and sometimes dark dialogues, with snarky comments from villagers adding to the comedic tone. Players appreciate the funny interactions and cute characters, noting that the humor enhances the overall experience and keeps them engaged in the unique story. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its quirky atmosphere, making it enjoyable for players.
“The entire village seems a little bizarre, sometimes a little dark, but the dialogues are funny and charming; it really fits the overall vibe of the game.”
“Unique story, surprising twists, and great humor!”
“At only 2 hours into this game, I can see myself spending many more hours in it - the characters are funny, the protagonist talks (!!!), and I'm very fascinated by the world and overall plot.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game is still in the early stages of optimization, with significant improvements needed; however, the developer is responsive and supportive in the community, particularly on Discord.
“It has a long way to go before it's fully optimized, but again, one person is working on it, and the developer is very helpful in their Discord.”
“The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
“I constantly experience frame drops and stuttering, which ruins the immersion.”
“The optimization is so bad that loading times are excessively long, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its appealing pixel art and charming farming simulation vibes, creating an enjoyable overall aesthetic. However, some players express a desire for more character interactions and romance options to enhance the experience further.
“The portraits are really nice; the whole look and atmosphere of the game is incredibly appealing for a pixel game.”
“I love the atmosphere and the farming sim vibes, but I wish there were more characters to meet or romanceable options.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers indicate that Brookhaven lacks the nostalgic qualities and engaging mechanics found in similar games like Stardew Valley and My Time at Portia, significantly diminishing its replayability. The game's shortcomings overshadow its positive aspects, making it less appealing for repeated playthroughs.
“Unfortunately, Brookhaven's good qualities are far outweighed by factors that impact the game and its potential for nostalgia and replayability, especially when compared to similar games like Stardew Valley, Sun Haven, and My Time at Portia.”
“The lack of meaningful content and variety in Brookhaven makes it hard to find reasons to replay the game after the initial experience.”
“Once you've completed the main objectives in Brookhaven, there's little incentive to return, as the gameplay feels repetitive and lacks depth.”
