Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest

About

Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest is a tactical, single-player RPG with turn-based battles and handcrafted missions. Assemble a party of heroes to stop the spread of corruption and evil in a unique fantasy world full of ancient forests, standing stones, and puzzling ruins. This game is a labor of love from the creators of the Legend of Grimrock series.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest screenshot

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,009 reviews

story227 positive mentions

grinding38 negative mentions

Challenging and engaging tactical gameplay that requires careful planning and strategy.
Beautiful graphics and a charming art style that enhances the overall experience.
Unique character progression system with customizable skills and abilities that allows for varied playstyles.

The story and dialogue are often clichéd and lack depth, making it less engaging for players seeking a strong narrative.
Many missions have strict time limits and endless enemy spawns, which can lead to frustration and a feeling of being rushed.
Limited character customization options and a small roster of playable characters may leave some players wanting more variety.

story
1,261 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
76%
6%
The story in Druidstone is generally considered basic and somewhat cliché, often revolving around familiar fantasy tropes like saving the world from evil. While some players appreciate the humor and light-hearted tone, many find the writing lacking depth and the dialogue tedious, leading to a tendency to skip cutscenes. Overall, the narrative serves primarily as a backdrop for the tactical gameplay, with missions designed more as puzzles than as a vehicle for storytelling, resulting in a mixed reception regarding its engagement and originality.
- “However, the battles are engaging and fun, skill development is steady, the characters are memorable, and the story is very well written, and for some reason it makes me think of torment.”
- “The story is simple, but characters are okay, Oiko the mage is pretty funny.”
- “The story starts a bit slow but really picks up and has some good twists.”
- “The story is so boring that reading the dialogue is akin to actively snorting chloroform for an hour.”
- “The story is passable, but the writing is terrible.”
- “The story is basic and simple, the graphics you can see on the store pictures, the soundtrack is pretty solid.”
gameplay
315 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
60%
6%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its tactical turn-based mechanics, which are generally well-received for their depth and challenge, though some players find them simplistic or frustrating due to issues like infinite enemy spawns and time limits. While the game offers engaging combat and a variety of mechanics that encourage strategic thinking, it also suffers from inconsistencies in difficulty and design choices that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, players appreciate the polished mechanics and visual presentation, but opinions vary on the balance and enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “It's a good mix of the genre and mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is very tactical and heavily rewards clever thinking.”
- “The gameplay is quite difficult, but the game gives you the option, and the tools, to circumvent the high curve that the game presents.”
- “While the scale and premise seemed promising, the artificial resource scarcity and inconsistent difficulty spikes made for a frustrating gameplay experience through a design that often feels like it’s forcing you to play a certain way.”
- “Probably the most important is the fact that every mission has infinitely respawning enemies, a gameplay mechanic that is guaranteed to frustrate me in every game where I encounter it.”
- “In the end, it is a graphically pretty tactical RPG with a host of frustrating mechanics, from escort missions while you are bombarded with respawning enemies, to levels that force you to complete them way quicker than the game allows.”
graphics
191 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
47%
2%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and charm, with many reviewers highlighting the colorful, cartoonish art style that effectively captures a fairy tale atmosphere. While some comments note that the visuals can feel generic or dated, the overall presentation is considered polished and appealing, with high-quality animations and a vibrant aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience. However, a few critiques mention inconsistencies in character designs and a lack of depth in some graphical elements.
- “Beautiful graphics, fun and challenging gameplay, but all very intuitive and easy to pick up.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and the music is very, very good.”
- “Graphics are superb and it's genuinely challenging from the start.”
- “The story, visuals, and audio are all painfully generic.”
- “The character portraits kinda feel like they don't match the rest of the game's visuals, if that makes any sense.”
- “Awful, childish graphics, no voice acting, terrible sound effects, awful music.”
music
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
43%
4%
The music in the game receives a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, often likening it to classic JRPG soundtracks. While some tracks are described as catchy and enjoyable, others are noted for being repetitive or less memorable. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing significantly to the overall experience.
- “The visuals were colorful, and the music had a nice presence, with songs ranging from a relaxing flute piece to driving combat music with electric guitars.”
- “The music is enjoyable and never gets old, which is a lifesaver for the longer missions.”
- “The game is gorgeous, the story is entertaining and the music transports you to a world of druids.”
- “This game is a flop in every way; graphics are standard, the menu is horrendous, and the music is murder.”
- “Cheap, poorly designed, and uses out-of-place generic game asset music.”
- “The music is very forgettable.”
humor
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek dialogue and clever quips, while others find it forced or juvenile. Many reviews highlight the comedic elements as a standout feature, particularly in character interactions and situational humor, though some criticize the writing for being long-winded or inconsistent. Overall, the game successfully incorporates humor into its narrative, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate a whimsical take on fantasy tropes.
- “Watching my guy get clapped because he dared to move around the centipede twice in one turn was hilarious.”
- “The writing is funny and doesn't take itself seriously, poking fun at the genre and classic tropes.”
- “The story is weak (it tries to be funny most of the time... but truth is they're not good at it).”
- “But your ironic fourth wall quips are just not funny.”
- “One of those games with unfunny jokes and pop culture references.”
- “All this leads to a feeling that this game was intended to make you feel like you got kicked in the teeth most of the time, which is quite unfunny and not enjoyable.”
grinding
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The reviews indicate a mixed perspective on grinding in the game. While some players appreciate that grinding isn't strictly necessary to progress, others find it tedious and limiting, especially due to a steep difficulty curve and low rewards for replaying missions. Overall, the game offers a blend of strategic gameplay and occasional grindy elements, with some players feeling that grinding detracts from the overall experience.
- “It's not really challenging, just tedious.”
- “But it's worth noting things do get a bit grindy due to an insane difficulty curve near the end.”
- “This fails to give you any feeling of reward for the continuing barrage of tedious and relentless difficulty that it puts on levels.”
replayability
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
84%
8%
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many players expressing a desire for more content, such as additional playable characters, multiple endings, and varied scenarios. While some aspects, like optional side missions and difficulty levels, provide a degree of replay value, the consensus is that the game lacks sufficient depth to encourage repeated playthroughs. Future updates or expansions that introduce new features could enhance this aspect significantly.
- “Fun 'roguelike' crawler - story is light - characters are entertaining - enough strategy and variables to make scenarios replayable without the feel that you're just mindlessly grinding.”
- “Druidstone is a very competent turn-based tactical RPG that creates replay value with the additional, optional level challenges that often require you to return to the level when your team has acquired more abilities.”
- “I really like that it's okay to screw up, the missions are easily replayable and offer no penalties (other than reduced XP), and you can try different tactics to get the bonus objectives.”
- “Too short, to be honest. There is some replay value to get all the side quests, but that is all.”
- “Replay value is low as the toughest parts of the game are the surprises, and not challenging enough to beat the top difficulty while also completing 100% objectives.”
- “There is no real replay value, so once you finish it, you're done. Thus, I suggest you play on the hardest difficulty.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
52%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its enchanting fairy tale quality, characterized by bright graphics, charming aesthetics, and a warm ambiance that evokes nostalgia for old-school RPGs. The clever design of encounters, engaging sound effects, and a fitting soundtrack enhance the immersive experience, while the lighthearted yet occasionally threatening gameplay adds depth to the overall atmosphere. Despite some critiques of the writing, the game's delightful presentation and attention to detail contribute to a captivating and whimsical environment.
- “It does a great job at capturing the fairy tale atmosphere; the aesthetics are campy and great, and gameplay has an element of uncertainty and threat during fights that makes victory very satisfying.”
- “This is a very atmospheric fairytale game.”
- “The graphics look bright and the atmosphere is warm.”
- “The story was alright and did try to be a bit more grandiose than it accomplished, but the soundtrack and atmosphere is what sticks.”
- “Regarding atmosphere there is one certain place that is very much of the opposite of previous colorful locations and it works really really well.”
- “It is about the complexity of the game, the atmosphere of a fairy tale with monstrous basilisks, ice giants, caves and thickets.”
character development
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
Character development in the game is generally seen as solid but varies in depth; while some players appreciate the ability to respec and experiment with builds, others feel that the overall character arcs are underdeveloped compared to more narrative-driven titles. The dialogue is clever and the character designs are appealing, yet the game lacks profound character development, focusing more on tactical gameplay and light customization options. Overall, while enjoyable, the character development does not reach the heights of classic RPGs.
- “Druidstone is short and simple, but deceptively good, with more compelling character development and plot than is common in tactics games.”
- “Character development: you can respec after (and during, if you want a retry) every mission for free, which allows for testing some very interesting combos.”
- “Advancing characters is enjoyable; the gem/slot and equipment systems make it almost impossible to screw up character development and allows you to try out many different fun builds for each character.”
- “For a computer game, it has a solid story and the main characters are likable and fun; just don't expect Baldur's Gate 2 level of story or character development.”
- “In my opinion, there should've been more character development stories and less (slightly stale) overarching story of good vs. evil.”
- “While the dialog is somewhat witty and reasonably well written, the game makes only a half-hearted effort at character development for just one character.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with smooth performance and steady frame rates even on lower-end machines. However, some users experienced crashes when alt-tabbing and noted the lack of a level select menu, which can hinder replayability. While most players report a solid experience with minimal bugs, there are suggestions for further graphical improvements and performance tweaks.
- “You gain additional crystals which boost your abilities as you complete special objectives and are needed for future battles; and they are battles so you can boost your skills as you see fit, lots of choices and optimizations.”
- “Wonderful visuals, great production value, almost no loading time, great optimization, not a single bug so far.”
- “In terms of production quality, the game runs smoothly (steady fps) on my limited machine without any major bug to be seen.”
- “In terms of performance, the game runs fine, but it did crash twice for me when I alt-tabbed to a different monitor; I thought it was worth noting.”
- “Replaying levels is a cumbersome affair (there are no level select menus), and there's no grading system in place to evaluate your performance.”
- “Lastly, please touch up and improve the performance of the graphics.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting significant bugs and glitches, while others praise it as being bug-free and polished. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some finding it challenging and well-engineered, while others describe it as shallow and problematic.
- “It's a challenging, original, fast-paced, beautiful, rich, unpredictable game with the right amount of puzzles, not too long, not too short, bug-free, and polished.”
- “The programming appears to be bug-free as well.”
- “The engine is, by my standards, bug-free, feels totally 'solid', and is just awesome.”
- “Seemingly, this is a buggy game with a very shallow and predictable method to it.”
- “I'm seeing people claim that Druidstone is buggy.”
- “It's way too basic for its price; it gives you a weird aftertaste and it's pretty buggy.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized for its lackluster and repetitive story, which fails to engage players and often detracts from the gameplay experience. While there are moments that serve the narrative, the overall execution does not meet the standards set by more acclaimed titles in the genre, leading to a disconnection with the characters and their journeys.
- “The emotional weight of the characters' journeys truly resonates, making every decision feel impactful and personal.”
- “I was genuinely moved by the story arcs; they explore deep themes of loss and redemption that linger long after the game ends.”
- “The game masterfully intertwines gameplay with emotional storytelling, creating moments that are both thrilling and heart-wrenching.”
- “The story is really hard, repetitive, and ultimately boring, making it difficult to connect emotionally with the characters.”
- “I found the story to be quite boring; thankfully, there's an option to skip the cinematics, which I ended up using after just a couple of them.”