FADE
- December 8, 2020
- Knight by Night
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"FADE is a Dark Fantasy Action RPG with combat inspired by the Souls Series and a focus on narrative and alchemy. Explore the settlements of Celeste, Solemn, Whisper, and the Baltane Capital to stop the 5 Homunculus Monarchs' destructive plot. Craft items, collect powerful equipment, and utilize the Weapon Augment System for unique combat skills."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a charming environment and impressive graphics, reminiscent of classic Souls-like titles.
- Combat feels satisfying and impactful, with a good balance of challenge and progression as players become stronger.
- The developer is responsive and actively working on improvements, showing potential for the game to evolve positively.
- The game suffers from significant performance issues, including low frame rates and technical glitches that disrupt gameplay.
- Many players have reported a lack of polish, with unfinished mechanics, confusing tutorials, and inconsistent enemy behavior.
- As an early access title, it feels incomplete, with various bugs and design flaws that detract from the overall experience.
- story9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story is generally regarded as intriguing and engaging, with players eager to explore its depths, despite some uncertainty about its direction. While the narrative may not be particularly rich, it complements the game's dungeon-crawling mechanics and offers a satisfying experience for fans of the genre. Voice acting is praised, aligning with high-quality standards, and the overall storyline contributes positively to the gameplay experience.
“The story is intriguing and the voice acting is on par with AAA titles.”
“It really is worth supporting even just for the comeback story, play this game!”
“I think that this is a great souls-like game and will give hours of fun for the dungeon seeker who loves a good storyline.”
“The story isn't that rich, the combat is clunky at times, and there's a lot of difficulty spikes.”
“There is a storyline, but it's a Souls-like map where every scene feels like it's in a next open-world dungeon style.”
“The game has plenty of quests, but the tutorial doesn't hold your hand too much.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been criticized for significant performance issues, particularly in outdoor environments, despite users employing various hardware enhancements and settings adjustments. Many players experienced severe drops in performance that detracted from the overall experience, leading to recommendations to wait for a sale before purchasing the full game.
“I'm using all good tier AMD hardware, so I enabled RSR in the driver and even turned on frame generation to try and combat the performance.”
“I'd recommend waiting for a sale if you're interested in what the demo has; the full game isn't worth full price in my opinion, given the performance and early access nature of the game as it is.”
“Jerky upper world like forests, but performance is smooth in the dungeons.”
“The performance was so bad at times, and for such long periods, that it completely ruined the experience.”
“Nothing I did would change the bad performance.”
“And on top of the performance issues, I started to see many flaws in the game that didn't exist in the demo.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the updated gameplay, highlighting the enjoyable learning curve of new mechanics and combat strategies. While initial concerns about the stamina system were noted, recent improvements have enhanced the overall flow and balance of gameplay.
“I've been trying the new version of this game as the developer has updated the game with new systems, world, mechanics, and content apparently.”
“Learning how the mechanics work, how to approach a fight, all of it felt great.”
“The flow of gameplay is tasty.”
“I also noticed that the stamina mechanic isn't really working, because I was able to continually attack even when my stamina bar was depleted.”
“Update: stamina mechanic has been improved significantly.”
“I've been trying the new version of this game as the developer (yes just one) has updated the game with new systems, world, mechanics and content apparently.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally well-received, featuring effective use of lighting and shadows, though some users note a lack of extensive graphic settings. While there are minor graphical glitches that can be amusing, they do not significantly detract from the smooth gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are considered decent with potential for improvement.
“The graphics are really good, utilizing lighting and shadows very well.”
“The combat is smooth, and it has the potential to be really good.”
“Decent graphics and detail.”
“There's not a lot of graphic settings to work with.”
“Needs work, but the graphics are okay; the combat is smooth, and it has the potential to be really good.”
“The graphics are decent, but there are some graphical glitches that can be amusing.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is characterized by a mix of smooth gameplay and occasional humorous graphical glitches that are not game-breaking. While some users have noted past issues with bugs and incomplete features, the current experience is described as playable and engaging, albeit with some minor stability concerns.
“I wrote a review ages ago about how this game felt buggy, incomplete, full of promise, but ultimately garbage quality.”
“However, if you want a game that is challenging, fun to play, a little bit buggy, and hard to see what you are doing sometimes.”
“A little buggy for sure but it's playable and interesting.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive and dark tone, which enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the engaging world and the feeling it evokes, alongside the companion system and variety of gameplay elements that contribute to the atmosphere.
“I always wanted to try it again because I really enjoyed the feeling of the game, the world, and atmosphere.”
“I liked the dark tone and atmosphere of the game; there is a companion system, leveling up, active skills, and a variety of loot.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be largely derived from unexpected graphical glitches, such as amusing animations and interactions, which add a lighthearted touch without detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
“The gameplay is smooth, and the few graphical glitches I've encountered have been hilarious (like unequipping your helmet, haha), but they are in no way game-breaking.”
“The defense animation looks funny.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive, leading to a sense of frustration, particularly as their characters feel ineffective in crucial combat situations.
“It feels very grindy, but worse is that my character feels toothless when it really matters in combat.”
“The grinding is excessive and makes the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
“I find myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which takes away from the excitement of the game.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The default game music is noted to be very quiet, which may lead to a less immersive experience for players.
“The default game music is very quiet.”
“The background music lacks volume and impact.”
“I found the music to be too subdued and not engaging.”
