Forged of Blood
- August 1, 2019
- Critical Forge
- 12h median play time
Forged of Blood has a solid foundation, but the games mechanics don't always mesh together, often causing too many problems with the games own ambitions.
Get on SteamForged of Blood is a tactical RPG set in a morally gray fantasy world, where players must manage their kingdom and lead their units in strategic battles. The classless character building system allows for unique character builds, and the game's decisions have far-reaching consequences in both battle and world map choices. With 9 weapons and a vast magic system, players can customize their characters to fit their preferred playstyle.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging turn-based tactical gameplay with a unique spell crafting system that allows for deep customization.
- The game features a reasonable story and interesting mechanics, providing a solid challenge for players who enjoy strategy games.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and actively working on improvements, showing potential for future updates.
- The game suffers from a confusing UI and poorly explained mechanics, making it difficult for players to fully understand the systems at play.
- Combat can be frustrating due to unbalanced difficulty spikes and reliance on luck, leading to a sense of unfairness in battles.
- Numerous bugs and performance issues detract from the overall experience, with some players experiencing crashes and other technical problems.
- story46 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a compelling setting and branching decisions that impact gameplay, though some players find it overly linear and restrictive. While the narrative starts strong, it can become bogged down by repetitive missions and dialogue, leading to a desire for more freedom in gameplay. Overall, the story is engaging with interesting mechanics, but it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of depth in certain areas.
“The storyline and campaign map are really well put together, with lots of interesting little quests and some unique mechanics for squad building, along with solid character development in terms of stats and abilities.”
“This extends to the storyline where it is clear that my decisions will affect the outcome, so I'm intrigued to see how that unfolds and will likely play again to explore a few other alternative endings.”
“A challenging and fun strategy RPG, featuring a story with branching decisions and strong tactical combat.”
“But the game follows too strictly to its story and doesn't allow a free play mode.”
“The story's leashes totally destroy this game as you wade through conversation after conversation.”
“Story started out strong, but the missions are so bland; this game could have been great but it just wasn't enough of an RPG or a strategy.”
- gameplay35 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and frustrating design choices, particularly in spellcasting and unit recruitment. While the combat is enjoyable and features unique interactions, many players find the mechanics poorly explained and riddled with bugs, requiring significant time investment to fully understand. Overall, the game shows promise with its complex systems and interesting character progression, but it suffers from a lack of clarity and polish that detracts from the overall experience.
“Sure it has some rough edges, but it has a reasonable story, medium to complex mechanics, some of which are unique, and is engaging.”
“The gameplay is basically XCOM with a different movement system (I like this movement system) in a fantasy setting, and the meta game has you fielding 3 squads of characters around the map after you complete the initial segment of the game.”
“While I understand the frustrations and complaints of several of the negative reviews, it seems many of those writers never even explored or spent time learning about the various systems and mechanics of this great little gem.”
“To make matters worse, because of the mechanic that forces you to cast one spell to charge the other, it makes both of your spells unusable in combat... horrible design.”
“Hindered by very poorly explained mechanics and many bugs/glitches.”
“The mechanics are very vague and overall proved to be a very unsatisfying experience.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are generally described as simplistic and unpolished, with weak animations that detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the realistic visuals compared to typical cartoony styles in the genre, many feel that the graphics lack refinement and can be janky, impacting immersion. Despite these criticisms, the game is considered functional and relatively bug-free, with some positive notes on its aesthetic and lore.
“From an aesthetic and lore perspective, the game delivers, is interesting, and brings a lot of new functionality to the turn-based tactics genre.”
“Also, the visuals are more realistic than normally found in such games (often cartoony), and the writing is better, with a more unique story than in most.”
“Graphics are pretty good, and it is a relatively bug-free game, with the odd bug reported being tackled by the devs.”
“Animations and graphics look very unpolished and, as mentioned previously, janky (something that especially stood out for me as I've recently been playing another indie turn-based strategy game with much better animations than this).”
“Gameplay is fine, but, again, it suffers due to the animations and graphics, which constantly took me out of the game.”
“Maybe it's just me, but the animations, graphics (including character portraits loading up all pixelated and staying like that for a long time) and those small bits lacking polish just rubbed me the wrong way.”
- stability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is mixed; while some users report it as relatively bug-free with effective developer support for minor issues, others criticize it for being buggy and poorly executed, with many glitches and unclear mechanics.
“The graphics are pretty good, and the game is relatively bug-free, with any reported issues being promptly addressed by the developers.”
“I appreciate the stability of the game; it runs smoothly without frequent crashes or glitches.”
“The developers have done a great job maintaining stability, ensuring a seamless gaming experience.”
“Buggy, poorly executed, abandoned game.”
“Hindered by very poorly explained mechanics and numerous bugs and glitches.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is well-received, with users praising its strong writing and solid strategy that contribute to an engaging experience. The deep customization of spell options further enhances the immersive environment, making for an enjoyable gameplay experience over extended play sessions.
“The writing is good, the strategy is solid, the atmosphere works well, and the spell options have very deep customization.”
“After playing for 6 hours, I really enjoy the atmosphere and the system.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's optimization is frustratingly unclear, leaving players without guidance on how to improve their experience. While the game can be punishing, it allows for recovery through strategic team optimization and smart play after setbacks.
“It's punishing but recoverable if you wipe a team, leaving room for making up for mistakes with future smart play and better team optimization.”
“I don't know if there's some optimization I was missing or what, but lacking any sort of input or guidance, the bottom line is that it becomes an exercise in frustration.”
“- It's punishing but recoverable if you wipe a team, leaving room for making up for mistakes with future smart play and better team optimization.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while some players may find grinding off-putting, it can create a necessary sense of urgency in gameplay. Additionally, the tutorial is generally seen as helpful, though it may feel awkward for newcomers unfamiliar with weapon mechanics.
“Now that's going to turn some people off, I am sure, but it generates a sense of urgency that games like this sometimes need in order to not become grindy.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised as good to excellent, enhancing the overall aesthetics and themes of the game world. While some reviewers note that the graphics and animations may be lacking, the strong musical composition significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
“The music is good to excellent, and the overall aesthetics of the game world and its themes are very well thought out and interesting. A good game just a few feet from standing on greatness!”
“The graphics and animations are a little weak but functional, but the music is excellent.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players note that the game has improved stability and a more balanced system, contributing to its replayability. The presence of engaging elements keeps players coming back for more.
“No more random crashing; the system is slightly more balanced, and the game has great replay value.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh due to the dynamic events and character interactions.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
“The repetitive gameplay mechanics diminish any potential for replay value.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development is perceived as solid but somewhat lacking in distinctiveness, with designs that may not leave a lasting impression.
“Character design seems solid but ultimately nondescript.”
“The characters lack depth and fail to evolve throughout the story.”
“There is little to no meaningful character development, making it hard to connect with anyone.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of awkwardness and dorkiness, with voice acting that can be hit or miss; some players find it both funny and brilliant, despite noticing the same voice actor taking on multiple roles.
“The voice acting is hit or miss; it's awkward, funny, dorky, and brilliant all at the same time. I also notice the same voice actor doing multiple roles, which adds to the humor!”
