FreeHolder
- September 1, 2015
- RogueWare
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"FreeHolder is a single-player, turn-based strategy game that combines elements of farming simulation, survival, and role-playing. As a fugitive in Ancient Rome, you must avoid starvation, frostbite, and a corrupt census taker while developing skills and resources to turn the tables on your enemy. With procedurally generated elements and a challenging roguelike design, each of the 8-hour playthroughs offers a unique experience accompanied by an original retro soundtrack."
Reviews
- The game has a unique and interesting concept that blends survival, strategy, and RPG elements, providing a fresh experience.
- Despite being in early access, the game offers a challenging and addictive gameplay loop that encourages experimentation and replayability.
- The developer shows promise and dedication, with a responsive community and potential for future updates to improve the game.
- The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and an unfinished state, making it frustrating to navigate and play.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, leading to a steep learning curve and difficulty in understanding game mechanics.
- Updates from the developer are infrequent, raising concerns about the game's long-term development and viability.
- gameplay20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay offers a blend of strategic resource management and straightforward crafting mechanics, providing 10-30 hours of engaging content, though it is still a work in progress with some rough edges and bugs. Players appreciate the depth and experimentation available, particularly in turn-based strategy and character interactions, but note that the interface and mechanics could use further refinement and clearer explanations. Overall, the game is fun and evolving, appealing to those who enjoy a mix of classic RPG elements and innovative gameplay.
“Even so, it can offer 10-30 hours of decent gameplay with interesting mechanics for those who feel interested to try it out.”
“Less of the basic sandbox crafting mechanics that seem to be so prevalent, and more true resource and calculated risk management with long-term strategic planning.”
“Graphically, it takes me back 30 years, but that's unimportant as it's all about gameplay, and this game's got it in spades.”
“It's a bit rough around the edges and some of the mechanics still need ironing out, but so far it's a lovely work in progress.”
“Game mechanics are lacking in many areas too.”
“Mostly just needs polish in menus and explaining game mechanics in-game, the occasional missing tooltip.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally considered creative and nostalgic, evoking a retro 8-bit style that some players appreciate, while others feel it requires significant polishing to reach its full potential. The art style is described as cute in parts, but there is a consensus that improvements are needed for a more refined visual experience. Overall, while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they do not detract from the enjoyable gameplay.
“And thank god, the art style doesn't make my eyes bleed or make me feel like Mr. Magoo - enough roguelikes already doing that on Steam.”
“If you're not into the latest graphics and like roguelikes/simulation/worker-placement games, you should definitely give it a shot!”
“Graphically, it takes me back 30 years, but that's unimportant as it's all about gameplay, and this game's got it in spades.”
“Art style is cute at places, though I think it needs a lot of cycles of art/graphics polishing to become something really wonderful.”
“The graphics in general need more polish.”
- stability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and unfinished content, making it difficult to recommend to most players. While some users have found enjoyment despite the glitches, the overall stability is considered poor, particularly in combat. Players should expect a bumpy experience as the game is still in an early state.
“I gave it another try, and there were no glitches. Once I figured out the UI, I found it to be really fun!”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
“I've played for hours without encountering any stability issues, which is impressive!”
“The game is unfinished and buggy.”
“It's still in a very early state though, and I can't recommend it to most players right now because of the numerous glitches and amount of unfinished content.”
“The game is buggy as all hell.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, with excessive clicking and a lack of visual feedback on actions taken. While the game offers meaningful trade-offs in decision-making, the slow pace of updates and the repetitive nature of tasks can detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite this, the game appeals to fans of turn-based strategy, farming simulators, and old-school RPG aesthetics.
“It can be a bit tedious to click around as much as you do, and a bit of extra visual hints as to what has been done in a turn would be great, just so you don't have to keep as much in your head as you do.”
“However, be aware that the current build is fun but very tedious.”
“Developers have a tendency to provide updates at a tedious 3-5 month basis; this is a slow... slow... wait.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for improved accessibility to music settings, noting that the intro music is excessively loud and would benefit from more granular volume controls. They appreciate the potential for diverse musical styles, including classical and retro 8-bit music, to enhance the game's atmosphere, particularly in its sim, survival, and RPG elements.
“A combination of sim, survival, RPG roguelike in retro style, with great music.”
“There are a million hours of free, open source music, classical performances, Roman flutes, lutes, and whistles.”
“Granularity to the sound, music, and ambient volume levels would be nice, say, as opposed to low/mid/high.”
“The intro music is way too loud, making it difficult to enjoy the game.”
“There should be more granularity in the sound settings; having just low/mid/high for music and ambient volume levels is not enough.”
“The game could benefit from a wider variety of music options, as there are countless hours of free, open source music available.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the game to have strong replayability, with many noting its addictive nature and tactical depth. Despite being in early access, it offers enough variety and challenge to keep players engaged, although some mention that the replayability may become unsustainable over time.
“They've really got something here, very tough, extremely replayable and highly addictive.”
“Freeholder is a fun management game with great replayability, and it manages to be slightly addictive despite its status in early access.”
“I have definitely invested in some flops, and this is not one of them with a good replay value even at the alpha stage this is something I have to recommend.”
“Borderline satisfaction game, unsustainable replayability where you go through the same motions.”
- story2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story is engaging and entertaining, blending elements of resource management and turn-based combat with political intrigue. Players appreciate the strategic depth provided by town quests and the mechanics that influence gameplay, enhancing the overall narrative experience.
“The Catan/Agricola style, with a bit of turn-based combat and story-driven politics, all make it greatly entertaining.”
“The story is engaging and keeps you invested in the characters and their journeys.”
“The narrative twists and turns are unexpected and add depth to the gameplay experience.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews do not directly address the game's optimization but instead highlight the availability of a vast library of free, open-source music, including classical performances and various instruments. This suggests that while the game's optimization may not be the focus, the audio experience is enriched by extensive musical resources.
