Forward: Escape the Fold
- March 29, 2022
- Two Tiny Dice
- 7h median play time
Get on SteamForward: Escape the Fold is a turn-based puzzle game that challenges players to manipulate and navigate through grid-based levels. As the player, you must guide a sentient AI to find the exit while avoiding deadly traps and solving intricate puzzles. With its simple mechanics and gradually increasing difficulty, this game offers a unique and engaging experience for all puzzle enthusiasts. Reference: ]
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Reviews
- Engaging gameplay mechanics with a straightforward card-based system that offers depth and strategic decisions.
- High replay value due to procedurally generated levels and multiple modes, including challenge modes and different character abilities.
- Charming pixel art and an atmospheric soundtrack that enhance the overall dungeon-crawling experience.
- Lack of depth in story and character lore, leaving players wanting more narrative context.
- Occasional imbalanced difficulty where some runs can start with setups that make progression nearly impossible.
- Absence of cloud saves, making it difficult to transfer progress between devices and limiting long-term replayability.
- gameplay116 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this roguelike card game is characterized by its straightforward mechanics that encourage strategic decision-making, offering a blend of simplicity and depth. Players appreciate the engaging gameplay loop, unique character abilities, and item synergies, although some note that the overall experience can become repetitive and lacks complexity over time. While the game excels in providing quick, addictive sessions, many reviewers express a desire for more varied mechanics and challenges to enhance long-term engagement.
“Engaging gameplay mechanics: the game’s card-based system is straightforward yet offers depth, requiring strategic decisions to navigate through enemies and collect items.”
“The unique progression system, which involves choosing a path from three cards at every turn, keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
“The mechanics are straightforward but the item combos and different characters can really turn every run into a unique and fun experience.”
“It's a fun game but like the other reviews have mentioned, the gameplay is quite limited and you will get bored of it pretty quickly once you work out the game.”
“Playing this game for almost 2 hours the main issue that was evident was that the gameplay is generally the same each time you go through a run and needs more spice to it.”
“Unfortunately after winning with all heroes I stopped, the gameplay is too identical for each hero, not much difference after understanding the winning strategy.”
- replayability29 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability through various modes, including expert challenges and procedurally generated levels, which keep the gameplay fresh and engaging. Players appreciate the unique character abilities and item combinations that enhance replay value, although some feel that the content may become limited after extensive play. Overall, it is recognized for its addictive gameplay loop and the ability to provide a satisfying experience across multiple runs.
“High replay value: with procedurally generated levels and multiple modes, including a challenge mode and a harder difficulty, the game provides plenty of replayability.”
“Forward: Escape the Fold is a bite-sized roguelike that excels in delivering quick, strategic gameplay with high replayability.”
“Endless combinations of items make for great replay value.”
“Making the game a one-time experience with no proper continuous replayability after completing 100%. If you uninstall, there is currently no reason to reinstall it.”
“Content can feel limited after enough runs, but the real replayability comes from the different characters you can choose from, each having different starting items, abilities, and perks.”
“Lacks depth and replay value for me; the characters are kind of neat but don't add enough to the game to make it worthwhile in a world where there is 'Inscryption' and 'Slay the Spire'.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style that appeals to some players, though others find the visuals basic and not particularly flashy. While the art is praised for its originality and cohesion, it may not resonate with those who prefer more modern graphics. Overall, the visuals are considered decent and effective, enhancing the game's nostalgic and minimalist aesthetic.
“Several characters to choose from, each of them feeling unique, great graphics, and easy to understand gameplay.”
“I also feel both the artwork and UI are brilliant – highly effective, cohesive, and full of character.”
“Addictive old school style graphic game with modern twists.”
“While the pixel art has its charm, the visuals are quite basic and might not appeal to everyone.”
“It definitely isn't flashy as far as the graphics go.”
“Gamers that aren't fond of pixel graphics won't like what's on offer here.”
- music23 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and engaging soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience, particularly during dungeon-crawling. Reviewers appreciate the delicate musical score and sound design, noting how the music dynamically shifts to heighten tension as players approach bosses. Overall, the combination of charming pixel art and well-crafted music contributes significantly to the game's immersive feel.
“The delicate musical score added an adventuring vibe and was surprisingly good for a game with this level of budget.”
“The sound design is also very good; the music ramps up as you get closer to the boss, and the sword-swing sound hitting 5+ enemies is incredibly satisfying.”
“Both the art style and music are awesome.”
“The delicate musical score added an adventuring vibe and was surprisingly pretty good for a game with this level of budget.”
“A particular design decision which I found boosts the immersion is that even though the game is 2D, the lack of third dimension is compensated by the music (by the way, the bassline reminds me of a song from the Mass Effect OST).”
“The soundtrack is another positive, and while pixelated art isn't my greatest joy, it is well-made here.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and minimal character and lore development, leaving players wanting more context and progression. While some appreciate the straightforward mechanics and distinct roguelike elements, those seeking a complex narrative or varied story mode may find it lacking. Overall, the game offers a fun experience but falls short in delivering a rich narrative.
“Nice artwork, story, sound effects, and music!”
“Don't think so, a fun little roguelike game, with an interestingly written story.”
“If the devs add a lot more variety with a story mode, then absolutely.”
“There's minimal background information on characters and the dungeon's lore, which might leave players desiring more context and story progression.”
“Was hoping for some story progression, but there's not much going on.”
“I think for players who want a lot of complexity or story, this isn't for you.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its charming pixel art and engaging soundtrack, which together create an immersive dungeon-crawling experience. Reviewers highlight the old-school tabletop RPG feel, enhanced by well-written flavor text and decent music, contributing to a captivating and replayable environment. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements fosters a strong and enjoyable atmosphere.
“The pixel art, while minimalistic, is charming and accompanied by an engaging soundtrack that enhances the dungeon-crawling experience.”
“It also has fantastic pixel art, great sound design, and an overall old-school tabletop RPG feel that gives off an excellent atmosphere.”
“A great implementation of a simple and well-known 'march through card-y dungeon' idea, with 15-minute roguelite runs, great atmosphere, and high replayability.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect to be manageable and enjoyable, with enough engagement to make the process feel rewarding rather than tedious. The potential for reduced RNG grinding enhances replayability and customization, drawing favorable comparisons to games like Slay the Spire.
“Not super grindy, but enough to feel satisfied.”
“It was fun enough to not mind grinding items.”
“The above will reduce RNG grinding 100% and make it more replayable and customizable, like Slay the Spire.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for being extremely bug-free, with only minor glitches and flaws reported. Reviewers appreciate the stability, especially given the game's price and the size of the development team.
“The game is extremely bug-free.”
“I haven't encountered any stability issues during my gameplay.”
“The overall stability of the game is impressive, making for a smooth experience.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced several bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
“There are constant frame drops and stability issues that ruin immersion.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The optimization in the game initially appears straightforward, effectively introducing players to the core mechanics. However, as players progress, future runs become more complex and nuanced, requiring deeper strategic thinking.
“At first, it looks like easy optimization - and that's true for the initial run, but that's just teaching you the core mechanics; future runs become more nuanced.”
“The optimization system is incredibly rewarding, allowing players to fine-tune their strategies and adapt to different challenges.”
“I love how the game encourages experimentation with optimization; every decision feels impactful and leads to unique outcomes.”
“At first, it looks like easy optimization - and that's true for the initial run, but that's just teaching you the core mechanics. Future runs become more nuanced.”
“The optimization system feels clunky and unintuitive, making it hard to achieve the desired results without a lot of trial and error.”
“I expected a more streamlined approach to optimization, but instead, it feels like a convoluted mess that detracts from the overall experience.”
