Cultivation Story: Reincarnation
- January 30, 2023
- Chi Entertainment Corp.
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam"Cultivation Story: Reincarnation" is a top-down pixel art-style action roguelike game based on Chinese mythology and cultivation. It features hundreds of items and over 200 upgrades, including cultivation methods, techniques, weapons, skills, and Fabaos. The game includes random events and NPC interactions, allowing players to make their own choices and deal with the consequences.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers great replayability with a surprising amount of content and fun combos.
- It successfully blends roguelike mechanics with a cultivation theme, making it enjoyable for fans of both genres.
- The developers are responsive and frequently update the game, adding new features and improving gameplay.
- The game lacks sufficient content and feels short, with some players wishing for more bosses and an endless mode.
- There are significant balance issues, particularly with boss health and the effectiveness of certain skills and builds.
- The translation and tutorial elements are lacking, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics.
- gameplay30 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a challenging yet rewarding roguelite experience that combines elements from popular titles like "The Binding of Isaac" and "Vampire Survivors." While players may initially find the mechanics overwhelming, the game offers significant replayability and engaging systems that keep each run fresh and exciting. Despite some minor issues with text visibility, the overall gameplay is praised for its depth, fun mechanics, and addictive nature, though players hope for additional content such as more bosses.
“A great roguelike experience, with a lot of replayability that gives you hours of gameplay.”
“After roughly 20 hours of gameplay and experimenting with the game, I can say it's definitely one of the best roguelikes of recent times; I've enjoyed almost every moment I've played so far.”
“The gameplay itself is a combination of Binding of Isaac's stat managing and Vampire Survivor's weapon merging and movement, allowing you to hold down your left and right mouse buttons to automatically spam both your attack and skill.”
“Takes a few runs to understand the base mechanics.”
“What you need to understand is that indie games introduce breathtaking in-depth mechanics, but usually lack content.”
“Speaking of gameplay, though the first few runs might feel overwhelming, just like in any other roguelites and roguelikes, once you start to get a feel for it, it becomes very fun and exciting.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, offering a wealth of content and diverse gameplay experiences that can keep players engaged for hours. Many users appreciate the numerous unlockables and the challenge of discovering combinations, although some note that as players progress and acquire more skills, the replay value may diminish. Despite this, it remains a standout in the roguelike genre for its replayability.
“Surprising amount of content and replayability for the price.”
“There is a ton to unlock, and if you decide to go slowly and not look up the combinations, there is an insane amount of replay value.”
“Once you're far enough in the game, you can get ~75% of all skills in every run - which lowers replayability.”
“It takes a bit of getting used to, but it is the best, in my opinion, of the current roguelikes in terms of diversity of play and replayability.”
“A great rogue-like experience, with a lot of replayability that gives you hours of gameplay.”
- story14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story in "Cultivation Story: Unlimited Blade Works" is criticized for lacking depth and coherence, often described as a cultivation narrative without a substantial plot. While fans of xianxia may find familiar elements, the overall experience is seen as shallow, with a need for more engaging storytelling and better guidance for players. Despite its beautiful presentation, the game is perceived to prioritize style over meaningful content.
“If you enjoy xianxia novels, the plot should be something you'll quickly understand.”
“However, there is still much to be done in the game, for example: character customization, an engaging story/plot instead of blind progress.”
“It's a cultivation story without any real storyline.”
“But triple-A games or mainstream games have lots of content (story/repetitive sub content) and they suffer from very shallow mechanics, beautiful but no substance.”
“Take the story aspects of The Binding of Isaac and switch them from biblical to xianxia, wuxia, and cultivation.”
- music10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as repetitive and not particularly special, yet it effectively sets the mood without being annoying. Some players noted issues with abrupt music transitions and short loops for boss battles, but overall, the soundtrack does not detract significantly from the gameplay experience.
“Radio playing songs that I've never heard.”
“Oh, and as an afterthought, the music isn't anything special but it isn't annoying. I didn't find myself muting it despite it being repetitive, and it set the mood very well.”
“The only thing I don't really like is the sharp music changes and some boss music loops are too short; aside from that, this game is superb!”
“It's not a bad game, but the music is repetitive as hell.”
“Oh and as an afterthought, the music isn't anything special but it isn't annoying. I didn't find myself muting it despite it being repetitive, and it set the mood very well.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a simplistic yet charming art style that enhances the overall gameplay experience. Reviewers appreciate the attention to detail and the fun visual elements, such as damage numbers, which contribute to an engaging atmosphere. While the graphics may be simpler, they effectively complement the game's addictive nature and flow.
“You can tell whoever worked on the game obsessed over even the smallest aspects of it, and it really shows in the final project - not just in the visuals, but in the flow and pacing of the roguelike elements of the game.”
“The art style is great and lends a deceivingly cute and simplistic feel to gameplay.”
“This game has me addicted, the gameplay and graphics are absorbing.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
“The character models look flat and lifeless, making it hard to get immersed in the game.”
“The environments are bland and repetitive, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, experiencing a rollercoaster of feelings from empowerment to vulnerability. These moments of triumph and defeat foster a sense of hope and motivation to improve, highlighting the game's ability to evoke deep emotional responses.
“I remember having a run that made me feel overpowered, and it was an incredible experience. Then, I instantly got defeated in the next one, which made me feel powerless but also hopeful to learn what I could do to improve my next run.”
