Elderand

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 320 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Elderand Game Cover
Elderand is an enjoyable, old-fashioned hack ‘n’ slash adventure that will challenge you without punishing you.
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"Elderand is a single-player, violence-filled hack and slash game with a wonderful gameplay and outstanding visuals. Explore a dark, Lovecraftian world and engage in brutal, skill-based combat against terrifying creatures using a variety of weapons and abilities. Customize your character and delve into satisfying Metroidvania-style exploration."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 320 reviews
story14 positive mentions
grinding40 negative mentions
  • Elderand features beautiful pixel art and a moody atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
  • The combat system is engaging, with a variety of weapons and abilities that allow for different playstyles.
  • Exploration is rewarding, with many secrets and hidden areas to discover throughout the expansive map.
  • The game suffers from clunky controls, particularly with dodging and blocking mechanics that can lead to frustrating encounters.
  • The story and lore are underdeveloped, making it difficult for players to become invested in the narrative.
  • Some bosses and enemies can feel unbalanced, with certain encounters being overly difficult compared to the rest of the game.
  • story64 mentions

    The story in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and well-integrated into the gameplay, while others criticize it as shallow, convoluted, or poorly communicated. Many reviewers note that the narrative lacks depth and memorable characters, often relying on familiar tropes, particularly Lovecraftian themes. Overall, while some appreciate the lore and exploration aspects, the consensus suggests that the story does not significantly enhance the gaming experience.

    • “The story unfolds in a way that feels natural and intriguing, making you want to uncover every secret.”
    • “Quality metroidvania with an intriguing story arc and souls-like mechanics.”
    • “Gorgeous graphics and an intriguing storyline shrouded in mystery adds to the pleasure of playing this awesome game.”
    • “The combat leaves a lot to be desired, there's barely any exploration for a metroidvania, and even the story is poorly written.”
    • “The game's story is so bland, it might as well not even be there.”
    • “I'm grasping at straws trying to tie it all together, and I read every note, so I think they failed to make a coherent story here.”
  • gameplay58 mentions

    The gameplay is generally well-received, featuring a mix of enjoyable mechanics, weapon variety, and exploration typical of the metroidvania genre, though it lacks innovation and can feel repetitive. Players appreciate the polished feel and challenging boss fights, but some criticize clunky mechanics, delayed item pickups, and overly simplistic enemy designs that detract from the overall experience. While the game offers a solid experience, it may not satisfy those seeking deeper gameplay or unique features compared to other titles in the genre.

    • “Great mechanics and feel, and the content that is offered is enjoyable, as well as the boss fights feeling challenging.”
    • “Very good, the gameplay and progression hooked me from the start.”
    • “Overall, a solid and compelling gameplay.”
    • “Overly obtuse lure texts which add very little to the gameplay experience due to how obscure most of the writing is.”
    • “Dodging does not give invincibility, there is no parry mechanic, and melee combat is extremely limited.”
    • “Even if you are dying for a new metroidvania game, if you played any modern platformers (like Dead Cells), then you'll have a really tough time looking past the flawed gameplay.”
  • graphics47 mentions

    The graphics of Elderand have received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful pixel art and dark, gritty atmosphere that enhances the game's overall aesthetic. While some players appreciate the detailed environments and character designs, others criticize the visuals as lacking authenticity and quality, particularly in the mobile version. Overall, the game is noted for its appealing art style, though opinions vary on its execution and depth.

    • “I enjoyed the art style of the game; it is constantly grim and disturbing, which sets an excellent tense atmosphere throughout the game.”
    • “Elderand offers a dark, gritty fantasy world brought to life through beautiful pixel art graphics.”
    • “The biggest thing of note is the visuals are incredible here in Elderand, exploring and seeing beautiful scenery and mind-boggling structures is honestly some of the game's most enjoyable content.”
    • “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
    • “Visually, this is a hamfisted mess, a dog's breakfast of bad visuals, and this kind of laziness and poor quality should never be foisted on gamers.”
    • “Yeah, these mobile devs want to get paid real game developer money but they don't even know how to do graphics properly so they just dumped out a pixel garbage mobile app on Steam.”
  • music42 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its fitting and catchy nature that complements the game's themes and aesthetics. While some find the soundtrack to be a highlight, others note that it can become repetitive over time, with a lack of variety in tracks for different bosses. Overall, the music is generally regarded as good, enhancing the game's atmosphere, though opinions vary on its memorability and cohesiveness.

    • “The music, fitting well with the levels' themes, is another strong point.”
    • “The art style and music are absolutely fantastic and for sure add to all the good that this game is.”
    • “Music is very fitting and catchy!”
    • “The soundtrack is a bit of a mixed bag; while there are some good tunes that are kind of retro, there are also some metal soundtracks that feel out of place.”
    • “There's also not much variety; every single boss (even the true final boss) uses the same soundtrack, which gets stale after a while.”
    • “Music and sound design are bland and unremarkable.”
  • grinding41 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and time-consuming, with many players feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. While some find the resource farming necessary for upgrades and leveling manageable, others describe it as prohibitively grindy, leading to boredom and frustration. Overall, the game requires significant grinding to progress, particularly for upgrades and achievements, which can make it feel repetitive and less enjoyable.

    • “The next update really needs an experience gain ring, as I am not grinding 30+ levels.”
    • “Slow, boring grinding is needed to get materials for optional equipment upgrades.”
    • “Prohibitively grindy and unnecessary.”
    • “The game is really tedious for a metroidvania.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautifully designed world, unique art style, and moody, grim tone that creates a tense experience. Players appreciate the vivid colors and retro vibe, while some note the eerie character designs that enhance the overall ambiance. However, there are mixed feelings regarding the controls and gameplay experience, with some players finding them lacking compared to the atmospheric visuals.

    • “The game pulls you right in with its beautifully designed world and moody atmosphere.”
    • “I enjoyed the art style of the game; it is constantly grim and disturbing, which sets an excellent tense atmosphere throughout the game.”
    • “In conclusion, Elderand is a visually captivating game with a dark, gritty atmosphere and a unique art style.”
    • “Characters are stylized in a unique way, deviating from human norms to fit the eerie atmosphere.”
    • “A pretty standard metroidvania with somewhat involved combat, similar a bit to Dark Souls in its atmosphere.”
    • “The art, the atmosphere, overall controls, enemies - at first glance everything looks cool, feels cool and acts properly.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited due to its short length and generic combat system, despite the positive feature of being able to skip cutscenes. Players feel that the lack of incentive to start new characters or playthroughs further diminishes replay value.

    • “The ability to skip all cutscenes is a positive feature, enhancing replayability.”
    • “Fairly short with little replay value and a pretty generic combat system.”
    • “This also works to limit replay value, as you no longer have to start new characters or playthroughs to see what 'endgame' builds look like.”
    • “Goes back to the replay value being mediocre.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization is generally praised for its excellent performance, attributed to a skilled Unity programmer on the development team. However, the experience is marred by numerous bugs that detract from the overall quality.

    • “The game has some good things going for it: for example, there is actual non-linear exploration in it, unlike in 9 years of linearity, and the performance is excellent thanks to a very competent Unity programmer on the dev team.”
    • “Luckily, performance is pretty good, but the numerous bugs overshadow this quite a bit.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from the grind itself, with players finding amusement in the simplicity and lightheartedness of the task, suggesting that the grind is more entertaining than challenging.

    • “Funny”
    • “The grind: I mean... it's not that hard to grind, but that's the funny part.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Users express frustration with the emotional impact of gameplay mechanics that evoke nostalgia for classic titles like Castlevania, particularly criticizing the harsh damage system where mere contact with enemies can lead to significant harm. This design choice detracts from the enjoyment and emotional engagement, as players feel unfairly punished by old-school mechanics.

  • monetization1 mentions

    Elderand is criticized as a cash grab from mobile developers, with users expressing frustration over its low-quality, retro-style gameplay and its inappropriate presence on Steam as a PC game. The monetization strategy is seen as exploitative, contributing to a decline in overall game quality on the platform.

    • “Elderand is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game. It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is a 2D retro pixel platformer, one of literally thousands of such games infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report experiencing random freezes and GPU usage spikes after extended playtime, particularly around the 10-hour mark, although restarting the game temporarily resolves the issue.

    • “After running the game for 10 hours, I experienced random freezes and GPU usage spikes. It's really weird, but restarting the game helps.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I encountered several stability issues, including lag spikes and unexpected shutdowns during gameplay.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

71% average critic score

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Play time

10hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
10-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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